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Star Wars 9 Director Teases 'Emotionally Resonant' End To New Trilogy

Star Wars: Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow is promising the sequel trilogy in the Skywalker saga will end on an "emotionally resonant" note. Though fans are impatiently counting down the days until Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters, the third and presumably final installment of the new series has been the subject of much attention recently. Lucasfilm has secured a May 2019 release date for the project and aims to start principal photography in January 2018 - just one month after Episode VIII premieres. It feels like yesterday people were awaiting The Force Awakens, and already the end of Rey's story is on the horizon.

Trevorrow was hired for the Episode IX job back in 2015 and has been hard at work developing the story ever since. Many people are curious to see what he has in store, especially since there was no mapped out narrative in place when J.J. Abrams was working on Episode VII, and the Star Wars 9 script had to be significantly reworked following the tragic passing of Carrie Fisher. Much like Johnson, Trevorrow seems to have a fair amount of creative freedom on his project and will be able to conclude the trilogy as he sees fit. That's a daunting proposition for anyone, but the filmmaker is more than up for the task.

In an interview with Screen Rant to promote his latest film The Book of Henry, Trevorrow discussed the process of formulating the script, mentioning the collaborations with Abrams, Johnson, and the Lucasfilm story group:

“The process of Star Wars began way back in August of 2015 when I looked at what J.J. and Rian had done and I’m very fortunate that I’m surrounded by some really, really brilliant producers and brilliant creative minds - Kiri Hart and the Lucasfilm story group and my producer [Michelle] Rejwan and Kathy Kennedy and also J.J. and Rian, Larry Kasdan. I mean, these are the best minds available and everybody’s engaged in making sure this is the most satisfying and emotionally resonant conclusion that we can possibly deliver.”

Though Trevorrow is going to have autonomy over Episode IX, he obviously has to work within the confines of the Lucasfilm system. Not only is he following the films from Abrams and Johnson, Star Wars 9 is going to have to fit into the larger series canon that includes the novels, comic books, and television shows. This particular era of galactic history is largely untapped across the various platforms, but the story group is in place to make sure everything fits together for the years to come. It's encouraging that Trevorrow has so many people to act as a soundboard - including veteran Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (co-writer of The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens). Lucasfilm appears to have a solid team working together to make sure the modern trilogy ends on a high note.

One of the neat things about the Star Wars franchise today is that the directors making the movies grew up on the original trilogy, and Trevorrow is no exception. "I was a Star Wars kid, that's all I thought about and that's all I engaged in," he told us. "I'm going to give 120 percent of myself, I will be a shell and I will wander the Earth barefoot for the rest of my life. So at least they know I'm laying myself on the line for it." Based on these comments, his passion for the material cannot be questioned, and he is going to do whatever it takes to make an excellent Star Wars movie. He, like those before him, understands how important the franchise is to moviegoers around the globe, and it isn't a responsibility he takes lightly. Considering Episode IX could be the final entry in the saga altogether, Lucasfilm is going to leave it all on the floor.